From: ddt@lsd.com (Dave Del Torto)
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 95 16:13:34 PST
To: Angus Patterson <s675570@aix1.uottawa.ca>
Subject: C-LIT: Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep" (was: Re: True Names)
Message-ID: <ab32340f410210037a5d@[192.187.167.52]>
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At 1:48 pm 1/5/95, Angus Patterson wrote:
>I've been trying to get True Names by Vernor Vinge, and have been told it's
>out of print (like most good cypunk ), does anybody have it scanned?
>I realize this is without permission, so does anybody have Vinge's address?
>(e-mail or otherwise) or could anybody ask him? Btw, does he have any other
>crypto/anonymity related stories? Thanks in advance.

Amazing that you should mention this, Angus: I *just* finished reading "A
Fire Upon the Deep" and it is not only exeedingly gnarly, but also features
a universal net, galactic-wide relays and Netscum-like service providers
and associated user kvetching, a sinister-billions-of-years-old-AI-virus,
newsgroups, lists populated by aliens - and even _crypto_ as the key to the
whole shebang. There's also a great futuristic "dig" on pub key encryption
buried in it. Neural net stuff. A possible explanation for the existence of
both God and Newt Gingrich...and I could go on.

Great read, true anus-clenching adventure... and this from one who does NOT
normally read anything more sci-fi than certain software manuals. :)
Strongly recommended for c-punks who can last 600 pages (after the first
ten, you're hopelessly hooked if you have half a brain left afdter reading
this list for a year or two).

I _WISH_ I had VV's email address! I'd like to send the guy a big thank-you
and ask if he's writing a sequel (yet). If anyone does know it, puh-LEEze
mail me. First book of his I've read, first of it's kind I've enjoyed in a
very long time. I'll scan my favorite crypto-related (legal-length) excerpt
and post it next week, howzat?

  dave
_________________________
 Big books small
 Books high books tall
 Just give me a good
 Little book,
 That's all.

     -Truman Capote (age 11)



C-LIT = Cypherpunk LITerature. Gitcher mind outta the gutter there, Lancelot.